The 21 islands and 12 miles of land on the Bayfield peninsula remain open for day visits, but visitors are not permitted to stay between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. — including at campsites or in a docked boat. Vault toilets are also not available, and campfires are not permitted.

“The health and safety of our employees, local residents, and visitors to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is our number one priority,” park superintendent Lynne Dominy said in a statement. “Overnight use encourages people to travel to Bayfield and to congregate around docks and camping areas, which is contrary to what local and state health authorities are recommending. This change is in alignment with recent closures of recreational uses on state and other federal lands in Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin is under a safer-at-home order until at least April 24, and Dominy said once the order is lifted, the park staff will need time to assess winter damage on remote islands and gear up their emergency response team for the busy summer season.

“We cannot even consider overnight island uses until we can do these things. Due to the delay in on-boarding summer staff, the visitor centers in Bayfield and Little Sand Bay will be delayed in opening," she said, noting that limited staff are available by email and phone now and that virtual visitor centers will open closer to Memorial Day.

Camping reservations will reopen after the end of the closure, and parking fees are being waived until further notice at Meyers Beach, which remains open.

The park service said the lakeshore is still experiencing winter conditions, with "snow covered shorelines, icy trails and frigid waters with ice in harbors on Lake Superior."

The national lakeshore, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, which has closed other national parks around the country since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic including Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

For more information on the Apostle Islands and current conditions, visit nps.gov/apis.